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February 7, 2018

10 Quick Copywriting Fixes for Your Website (+ a Free Download!)

This past week while traveling to Austin, I managed to read all of Donald Miller’s latest book, Building a StoryBrand, in about two sittings.

I’ve been a huoooge fan of his podcast for some time and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the book – hoping it would live up to the great content he produces elsewhere.

It certainly did. As a copywriter & brand strategist, their advice on messaging and marketing makes my little creativepreneur heart skip a beat. It’s dead on and provides time-tested principles and strategies that WORK, backed with integrity, so you can feel good about it.

All that to say, today I’m sharing 10 Quick Copywriting Fixes for Your Website (+ a Free Download!). You’ll get the first 5 in this post and then simply sign-up for the Insider Freesource belowto get the full list delivered to your inbox for safe keeping. It will come in handy as you go to work through them!

I’m confident this Donald would agree with all 10 of them, too!

10 Quick Copywriting Fixes for Your Website

01. Include a Brand Statement

Within the first 5-8 seconds of landing on your website, your readers need to know how you can help them. That’s where the brand statement (also referred to as a brand bio, one-liner, elevator pitch, etc.) – comes in.

You need to address who you serve (the customer), the problem they have, and the solution you offer as clearly as possible. This statement would ideally be centered on the page in a prominent font, and included “above the fold” – which is tech-speak for being framed within the initial screen, without having to scroll. Here are a few examples:

kvh. creative’s is:

“I help creatives convert prospects to clients with crystal clear & compelling messaging so you can readily articulate what you do, intentionally tell your brand’s story, and create a digital strategy that powerfully grows your business.”

On the homepage, this is shortened and framed as an invitation in a prominent font that reads:

“Our modern & easy websites will help you launch quickly so you can start woo-ing your dream clients, killing it online and doing the thing you were made to do.”

02. Include a Prominent Call-to-Action (CTA)

Ideally, this will be placed in the top right corner &/or directly below your brand statement…and then repeated throughout the site. It may feel direct, but your reader should never have to search through your site trying to figure out how they can work with you. Make this as easy and obvious as possible. It’s okay to be bold here.

03. Ensure Your CTA Buttons Stand Out

This one goes along with #2 – both your copy and the design of the button should be very clear. Depending on your products/services, it should read something like: “Book/Buy/Shop Now” or “Start Free Trial” or “Start Here”. It should feel like an invitation and leave no confusion as to where you’re taking them.

Additionally, I recommend making it a different and more eye-catching color than other buttons you might use on the page. It’s the golden ticket – your revenue generator – so don’t let it blend in and get lost.

04. – Cut the Clutter, Noise, or Anything Distracting

Sometimes we get so excited about all that we have to offer that we just keep piling things onto the menu bar or main navigation, the home page, and add tons of text. This just sounds like noise to your reader, not music. They shouldn’t feel overwhelmed or wondering where to click first. Option paralysis is a real thing! Even if you feel like you couldn’t possibly part with all of it, in the words of Stephen King, “Kill your darlings.”

If you really HAVE to keep everything, consider creating separate subsites for your main products/services if you have to. Well-known creative entrepreneurs like Jenna Kutcher and Jasmine Star do this.

05. – Simplify Your Main Menu

On that note, keep your main menu/navigation very simplified. Less is more and now is not the time to be cheeky with your copy. Try not to have tons of drop-downs under each option or a menu that covers the width of the screen. Two ways to avoid this:

(1) If you have a lot to highlight, you can also make use of a footer menu that slightly differs from your main, top menu for things like customer care, privacy policy, about, returns/shipping info, etc.

(2) Consider including a “Start Here” navigation that leads to a page with a guide to working with you.

How ya doin’ so far? Can you check off all the above or do you have some work to do? Ready for #6-10? Click here or the image below to get the rest of the list as fast as the little digital carrier pigeons can get it to you.

I’ve recently had a few people ask me about my writing process and I’m feeling in the holiday spirit, so here it is for you to swipe! In addition to my writing process, I also wanted to show you some of my favorite writing, editing, and (free!) content creation tools...